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The Power of Podcasts: Part 3 “The Set-up”

In the previous post, the pin had finally dropped on how podcasts are set up – turns out, very easily. So easily in fact that they can be produced with nothing more than a laptop and some free editing software.

Despite having the option to use the questionable quality of a laptop and the in-built microphone, we decided to invest in some more substantial equipment which would not only allow us to record with excellent audio quality but could be flexible and portable enough to record events and meetings.

Portability instantly ruled out a simple microphone, as most need to plug into a Laptop and were cumbersome to move around.

I set about searching for something that was inexpensive but good quality, portable yet reliable. Searching online yielded plenty of results. Most of the equipment wouldn’t look out of place Star Trek.

The descriptions and specifications were equally baffling but, admittedly with some luck, I pulled together a shortlist of the items that I thought would suit our purpose down to the ground.

All were inexpensive and could be easily transported. The one that really stood out also came with an accessories pack with a windbreaker, remote control and a mini tripod. After putting forward these recorders/microphones to David, our supreme leader decided the one with the extra gadgets would do the trick.

Armed with the company credit card – bold move – I set about looking for a supplier. Unsurprisingly, since this was an urgent purchase, this particular recorder was sold out in almost all shops and suppliers I contacted. Terrific.

After much frantic Google searching and terse phone calls, eventually one was ordered and on it’s way.

The H2N Zoom combines high quality audio capture with a low cost.

With the hardware winging its way to us, I turned my attention to the software. I had figured out the process of actually uploading and publishing a podcast but what about editing? And where would we publish our podcasts?

Whatever apps Windows came supplied with wouldn’t be enough for our needs. I tested several programmes but settled on Audacity. This free audio editing app had great reviews and seemed easier to navigate. Crucially, it’s features weren’t locked behind annoying premium paywalls. No one likes coming to the end of a free trial. No one.

My first and only real choice for hosting the audio clips was SoundCloud. Now, that’s not to say I didn’t go with it just because it was the only one all the guides ever told me to use but it certainly reaffirmed what I already knew. That SoundCloud was reliable, good price and did the basic necessity of hosting the sound clips.

With the company credit card taking the brunt of my spending offensive, I felt ready to dive into the world of Podcasting proper.